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Procter & Gamble comes under fire over palm oil use

Greenpeace has called on household products titan Procter & Gamble (P&G) to commit to an immediate “no-deforestation” policy after linking the company to palm oil suppliers in Indonesia which have allegedly engaged in destructive deforestation and clearing of endangered animal habitat.

The NGO has concluded a year-long investigation into P&G suppliers and found some seem to be linked to environmentally destructive practices associated with palm oil.

“As a result of rainforest destruction by Procter & Gamble’s suppliers, household brands containing palm oil, such as Head & Shoulders shampoo and Gillette shaving gel, are contributing to climate change, key tropical biodiversity loss and social deprivation,” the Greenpeace report said. It also states that palm oil production is the single biggest driver of deforestation in Indonesia, whose rainforests are home to tigers, elephants and orang-utans.

Many FMCG giants such as Unilever, Nestlé and L’Oréal have signed up to the ‘no-deforestation’ pledge and last year Wilmar International, the world’s largest palm oil trader, said it would stop trading with problematic suppliers. P&G has so far failed to follow suit.

However, P&G maintains that it is strongly opposed to irresponsible and/or deforestation and plantation practices. “By 2015, we intend to only purchase and use palm oil that we can confirm to have originated from responsible and sustainable sources. We are already working with our supplier to deliver on this commitment,” posted a P&G consumer relations spokesperson posted on the Greenpeace website.

An Ethical Performance request for direct comment from P&G was declined.